Assigning communication paths among computing devices utilizing a multi-path communication protocol

ABSTRACT

A method for routing communication paths among computing devices. The method includes a one or more computer processors identifying a computing entity and a data storage entity that transfer data. The method further includes determining a plurality of communication ports that the data storage entity utilizes to transfer data to the computing entity. The method further includes identifying a plurality of computing resources respectively associated with the determined plurality of communication ports that the data storage entity utilizes to transfer the data to the computing entity. The method further includes generating a list of tuples for the data storage entity based, at least in part, on the identified plurality of computing resources and the determined plurality of communication ports.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of networkcommunications, and more particularly to controlling the networkconnections utilized by multi-path data transmissions protocols.

In a distributed computing environment, large volumes of information canbe stored on systems that are optimized for data storage, such as anetwork-attached storage (NAS) system and/or a storage area network(SAN). The execution of software and programs can be deployed tohardware that supports virtual systems (e.g., virtual machines). Inaddition, various components within a computing system can bevirtualized, such as network switches and communication adapters. Avirtual machine (e.g., an application server) can be dynamicallyconfigured (e.g., computational speed, multitasking, high-volume networktraffic, response time, reliability, etc.) and optimized for theapplications executed on the virtual machine (VM). In contrast, someobjectives of utilizing NAS and/or SAN systems, as opposed tointegrating data storage on a computing system hosting VMs, are:improved availability (e.g., fault-tolerance), improved performance(e.g., bandwidth), improved scalability, and improved maintainability(e.g., disaster recovery processes).

Various network topologies exist that can enable the communicationbetween a computing system hosting VMs and a SAN storing the informationutilized by a VM. A mesh network topology provides at least two nodeswith two or more communication paths between the nodes, which providesredundant paths for the communications. In addition, variouscommunication protocols can be utilized within a communication network.Some networking protocols (e.g., Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP)) areimplemented on the communication adapters (e.g., host bus adapters),which reduces the resource demands on central processing units (CPUs)within a computing system and/or a SAN. Other networking protocols cantake advantage of the redundant paths within some networks to increasethe bandwidth of information transfer. Two such protocols are StreamControl Transmission Protocol (SCTP) and Multi-path Transmission ControlProtocol (MPTCP). In addition, various virtualization technologies canbe applied to communication ports of a computing system and/or a SAN. Inone instance, virtualizing port IDs improves the isolation of VMsutilizing the same physical port on a SAN.

SUMMARY

Aspects of an embodiment of the present invention disclose a method,computer program product, and computing system for routing communicationpaths among computing devices. The method includes one or more computerprocessors identifying a computing entity and a data storage entity thattransfers data. The method further includes determining a plurality ofcommunication ports that the data storage entity utilizes to transferdata to the computing entity. The method further includes identifying aplurality of computing resources respectively associated with thedetermined plurality of communication ports that the data storage entityutilizes to transfer the data to the computing entity. The methodfurther includes generating a list of tuples for the data storage entitybased, at least in part, on the identified plurality of computingresources and the determined plurality of communication ports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a distributed computing environment, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative example of a configuration of physicaland virtual ports associated with communication adapters of a computingsystem to communicate with a network, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative example of a storage area networkutilizing physical and virtual ports to communicate with a network, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of steps of a path generation program, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of steps of an alternate path selectionprogram, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative example of a portion of a list ofcommunication ports for a storage area network, sorted, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 depicts a block diagram of components of a computer, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention recognize that virtual environmentsfor application servers as well as storage systems is an area of growthfor some businesses. Data center decentralization and Cloud computingare two factors that contribute to this growth. To ensure that thetransmission of data among application servers and SAN and/or NASsystems is reliable and low-latency, multi-path information transfer maybe utilized. Some networking technologies utilize a World Wide Name(WWN) as a unique identifier for a storage technology. Some storagetechnologies that utilize WWNs are Fibre Channel (FC), serial-attachedvirtual Small Computer Serial Interface (SAS), and Advanced TechnologyAttachment (ATA). In one instance, a WWN may be used as a World WideNode Name (WWNN) to identify a switch. In another instance, a World WidePort Name (WWPN) may be utilized to identify a port on a switch (e.g.,communication adapter). To reduce the number of physical ports requiredon communication adapters (e.g., host bus adapters (HBA)) of a computingsystem, SAN, and/or a NAS, N_Port_ID Virtualization (NPIV) may beutilized. In addition, without NPIV, the logical unit number (LUNs)(e.g., storage devices) zoned to a specific physical N_Port_ID would bevisible to any VM that is connected to that N_Port_ID. NPIV enablesmultiple WWPNs to be assigned to a single physical N_Port. DifferentLUNs can be assigned to each WWPN rendering a LUN visible only to the VMthat is zoned to a specific WWPN.

Embodiments of the present invention recognize that in a computingsystem that utilizes virtualization (e.g., hypervisor based), a largenumber of VMs may be provisioned. The communication ports on thecomputing system are “initiators” of the communication with a storagesystem. By utilizing I/O and port virtualization, the total number ofpossible communication paths that can be created between the VMs and anetwork, in some instances, may exceed 10,000 paths. Similarly, astorage system (e.g., a SAN) can present a large number of possibleconnections (targets) to a network. This large number of possibleconnection paths (e.g., routes) may provide connection redundancybetween a VM and a storage device; however, this does not precludecreating “bottle-necks” at the physical ports of a storage device.Embodiments of the present invention recognize that simply limiting thenumber of connection paths may result in a limited number of hardwarecomponents and ports being utilized generating “hot spots” or congestionwhile other hardware components and ports are not utilized.

Embodiments of the present invention provide redundancy and loadbalancing for VMs of a computing system that communicate informationover a network to a storage system utilizing a multi-path communicationprotocol. Embodiments of the present invention determine thecommunication resources (e.g., servers, HBAs, physical ports, physicalport IDs, virtual port IDs, etc.) available on a storage system and therequirements (e.g., LUNs, bandwidth, timeout constraints,fault-tolerance, etc.) of the VMs and associated software executing onthe VMs of a computing system that communicate with the storage system.The computing resources of a storage system are identified, and a sortedlist of the computing resources is generated, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, computing resources of a storage system are cyclicallydistributed, based on a hardware hierarchy as a method to minimize theeffects of faults that may occur on a storage system. The sorted listincludes the targets (e.g., port IDs, WWPNs) on the storage system. Thetargets are distributed among the initiators (e.g., port IDs, WWPNs)utilized by one or more VMs of a computing system. In addition,embodiments of the present invention recognize that a computing systemand/or a storage system may reserve one or more system (e.g., computing)resources. In an embodiment of the present invention, a computing systemincludes a communication routing program that utilizes informationassociated with the initiator-target assignments for negotiating (e.g.,handshaking) the communication paths between a computing system and astorage system.

In one embodiment, a percentage of the total possible targets isassigned to each initiator. In another embodiment, the number of targetsassigned to an initiator is related to the bandwidth associated with aVM and/or software application executing on a VM. In addition,embodiments of the present invention recognize that VMs of a computingsystem may be dynamically created (e.g., provisioned), paused, stopped,and destroyed. Limiting the distribution of the total number of targetsprovides a method to assign (e.g., allocate) targets to new initiatorswithout generating a new sorted target list and renegotiating aplurality of communication paths between a computing system and astorage system. In some embodiments of the present invention, one ormore communication paths between a computing system and a storage systemare monitored. In an embodiment, the monitoring of one or morecommunication paths is utilized to detect communication faults. Inanother embodiment, the monitoring of one or more communication paths isutilized to verify that sufficient bandwidth (e.g., communication paths)is assigned to an initiator.

Embodiments of the present invention also recognize that a VM of acomputing system may execute various software programs where eachsoftware program may utilize one or more initiators to communicate witha storage system. In some embodiments, each initiator utilized by a VMmay be assigned a different number of targets on a storage system. Inother embodiments, a software program is determined to have timeoutconstraints that may affect the routing selection method, routingselection delay, and target assignments. For example, a software programthat includes a timeout constraint may fail, abort, and/or produce anerror message when requested information requested from data storage isnot received within a period of time dictated by the code of thesoftware program.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention recognizes thatmulti-path communications may also exist within computing systemshosting application servers and data storage systems as part ofinput/output (I/O) virtualization. Some embodiments of the presentinvention may be utilized by internal communication networks to handleredundancy and load balancing issues.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe Figures. FIG. 1 illustrates distributed computing environment 100,which includes computing system 102, storage 105, and network 110. Anembodiment of distributed computing environment 100 includes computingsystem 102 and storage 105 interconnected over network 110. Manymodifications to the depicted environment may be made by those skilledin the art without departing from the scope of the invention as recitedby the claims.

In some embodiments, computing system 102 is comprised of physical andvirtualized systems. Physical systems can be a stand-alone computer, oralternatively, a computing system utilizing clustered computers andcomponents. Virtual systems are independent operating environments thatuse virtual resources made up of logical divisions of physicalresources, such as processors 121, disks 122, network cards 123 (e.g.,input/output (I/O) adapters), and memory 124. Hypervisor 120 providesthe ability to divide physical computing system resources into isolatedlogical partitions. Each logical partition operates like an independentcomputing system running its own operating system (e.g., a virtualsystem). The independent operating environments controlled by ahypervisor may be structured in various schemes and hierarchies (e.g.,logical partitions (LPAR), servers). In some embodiments, hypervisor 120interfaces with communication routing program 125 as the status of oneor more VM changes (e.g., provisioned, destroyed, etc.).

In some embodiments, in addition to creating and managing the logicalpartitions and associated VMs, hypervisor 120 manages communicationbetween the logical partitions and other systems within computing system102 via one or more virtual switches (not shown). In an embodiment, somevirtual switches and internal network communications are represented bybus 190. To facilitate communication, each logical partition may includeone or more virtual adaptors for communication between the VMs within alogical partition and VMs or other systems outside of the LPAR. Forexample, LPAR 130 includes virtual adapters 140, 150, and 160 associatedwith VM 131, VM 133, and VM 135, respectively. The type of the virtualadapter depends on the operating system used by the logical partition.Examples of virtual adapters include virtual Ethernet adapters, virtualfiber channel adapters, virtual small computer serial interface (SCSI)adapters, and virtual serial adapters. Some of the virtual adaptersutilize bus 190 to facilitate communications. In an embodiment, bus 190may be configured to create as a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)within computing system 102. In another embodiment, computing system 102may utilize other technologies, such as Virtual Machine CommunicationInterface (VMCI) protocol or virtual network interface cards (VNIC), toenhance the communications among virtual adapters. Physical and virtualadapters within computing system 102 may utilize protocols that supportcommunication via virtual port IDs (e.g., NPIV, WWPNs).

In some embodiments, computing system 102 is divided into logicalpartitions (LPARs) that include LPAR 129 and LPAR 130 with each LPARexecuting an independent operating environment, such as an operatingsystem (OS). In an embodiment, LPAR 129 contains an OS that supports avirtual I/O server (VIOS). The VIOS LPAR (i.e., LPAR 129) includes I/Oserver 170 and I/O server 180, with the I/O servers respectivelyincluding communication adapters (e.g., host bus adapters (HBA)) 171and/or 177, and 181 and/or 187. In another embodiment, LPAR 130 includesVM 131, VM 133, and VM 135 executing a shared OS. In other embodiments,at least one of I/O server 170 and I/O server 180 are physical computerservers (e.g., blade servers, network servers, etc.) that communicatewith various portions of computing system 102 via an internalcommunication system, bus 190.

In an embodiment, communications from network 110 are routed throughcommunication adapters (e.g., HBAs, network interface cards (NIC), etc.)171 and 177, and 181 and 187 of I/O server 170 and I/O server 180,respectively, on logical partition 129, to bus 190. Communications fromvirtual adapters 140, 150, and 160 in logical partition 130 may berouted through bus 190 to network 110, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. In one embodiment, one or more ofcommunication adapters 171, 177, 181, and 187 are physical adaptersincluded in network cards 123. In another embodiment, one or more ofcommunication adapters 171, 177, 181, and 187 are virtual adaptersderived from network cards 123. In an alternative embodiment, one ormore physical network adapters are allocated to logical partition 130for VM 131, 133, and 135 to function in place of instances of virtualadapters 140, 150, and 160.

In an embodiment, computing system 102 communicates through network 110to storage 105 (e.g., a storage area network). One or more connectionsof computing system 102 to network 110 occur via ports; hereinidentified as initiators. One or more connections of storage 105 tonetwork 110 occur via ports; herein identified as targets. Network 110can be, for example, a local area network (LAN), a telecommunicationsnetwork, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wide area network(WAN), such as the Internet, or any combination of the previous, and caninclude wired, wireless, or fiber optic connections. In general, network110 can be any combination of connections and protocols that willsupport communications between computing system 102 and storage 105, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. In anotherembodiment, network 110 operates locally via wired, wireless, or opticalconnections and can be any combination of connections and protocols(e.g., NFC, laser, infrared, etc.). Network 110 may be configured invarious topologies (e.g., bus, tree, mesh, hybrid, fabric, switchedfabric, etc.).

Communication routing program 125 utilizes various communicationprotocols to communicate data between computing system 102 and storage105, based on the networking technologies utilized by network 110 andthe protocols supported by instances of physical and/or virtualizednetwork adapters utilized by computing system 102 and storage 105. Inone embodiment, communication routing program 125 utilizes one or moreprotocols that support multi-path data communication between computingsystem 102 and storage 105. In some embodiments, communication routingprogram 125 may establish (e.g., negotiate) a plurality of connections(e.g., communication paths) between computing system 102 and storage 105and communicate information associated with the connections (e.g.,initiator IDs, target IDs) to path generation program 400. In anotherembodiment, communication routing program 125 dictates the assignment ofthe target ports on storage 105 based on a sorted list of targetsgenerated by path generation program 400. In an example, communicationrouting program 125 receives initiator-target assignment from pathgeneration program 400 for initiator ports of computing system 102(e.g., referencing FIG. 6, target port list for storage 105). In otherembodiments, communication routing program 125 utilizes one or morenetworking utilities to determine information associated with acommunication path. Information determined by communication routingprogram 125 may include: a status, a retry rate, a packet loss rate, aqueuing delay, a propagation delay, an error rate, a fault, and ahandshaking error.

In a further embodiment, communication routing program 125 may utilizetechnologies, such as N_Port_ID Virtualization (NPIV) and N_PortVirtualization (NPV) to enable one or more ports of I/O server 170 andI/O server 180 to be identified by more than one instance of a WWPN. Ina different embodiment, communication routing program 125 enablesmulti-path communication (e.g., multi-path I/O) via I/O virtualizationwithin computing system 102. For example, communication routing program125 enables multi-path communication between VM 131 (e.g., processors121) utilizing virtual adapter 140 (e.g., network cards 123) and disks122.

Environment 200 includes I/O server 170, communication adapter 171,communication adapter 177, bus 190, and connections to network 110.Environment 200 is described in further detail with respect to FIG. 2.

Path generation program 400 determines which physical or virtualinitiators (e.g., communication adapter ports) of computing system 102communicate with storage 105 utilizing a multi-path communicationprotocol. Multiple instances of path generation program 400 may executeconcurrently. Path generation program 400 may execute concurrently withalternate path selection program 500. In some embodiments, anotherinstance of path generation program 400 may execute when a new VMactivates. In an embodiment, path generation program 400 determines thenumber of targets available on storage 105 and the physicalrelationships (e.g., communication adapter address, server supporting acommunication adapter) of those targets on storage 105. Path generationprogram 400 utilizes this information to determine the number ofconnections that may be utilized by each initiator and a group oftargets that are assigned to each initiator. Path generation program 400communicates groups of targets that are assigned to each initiator tocommunication routing program 125, which subsequently generates theconnection paths between computing system 102 and storage 105 vianetwork 110 utilizing a multi-path communication protocol. In otherembodiments, path generation program 400 communicates with hypervisor120 to determine when a new VM is provisioned and which initiators areutilized by the provisioned VM. In addition, path generation program 400communicates with hypervisor 120 to determine when the status of a VMchanges; for example, when a VM de-provisions and which initiators areassociated with the de-provisioned VM.

In a further embodiment, path generation program 400 may monitor acommunication path between an initiator and a target. In a scenario, ifpath generation program 400 detects a problem with a communication path(e.g., connection), path generation program 400 may activate alternatepath selection program 500. In another embodiment, path generationprogram 400 may also determine which VM within LPAR 130 utilizes theinitiator of the affected communication path.

Alternate path selection program 500 responds to faults detected instorage 105. Alternate path selection program 500 determines whichtargets (e.g., ports, port IDs, WWPNs, WWNNs) on storage 105 areassociated with a fault detected on storage 105. Based on the sortedlist of targets generated by path generation program 400, alternate pathselection program 500 determines which initiators are assigned (e.g.,connected) to the affected targets. In one embodiment, alternate pathselection program 500 may communicate with communication routing program125 and flag the affected connection to prevent further use of theflagged connection while the communication fault is present on storage105. In another embodiment, if sufficient connections between aninitiator and storage 105 are affected that degrade the communicationbandwidth for a VM, alternate path selection program 500 may activatepath generation program 400 to generate a new list of connections forthe affected VM. In a further embodiment, alternate path selectionprogram 500 may utilize information associated with a VM of an affectedinitiator determined by path generation program 400 (step 410) todetermine if software executing on the VM includes timeout constraintswhich may be triggered by the affected communication connection.

Storage 105 includes data and information utilized by VM 131, VM 133,and VM 135. The data and information contained within storage 105 mayinclude: text files, video files, audio files, numerical data, e-mailfiles, databases, etc. In one embodiment, storage 105 is a storage areanetwork (SAN). In another embodiment, storage 105 is network-attachedstorage (NAS) system. In some embodiments, storage 105 may be a SAN-NAShybrid system. In addition, storage 105 may utilize storagevirtualization to enable additional functionality and more advancedfeatures within a computer data storage system.

FIG. 2 depicts a functional block diagram illustrating environment 200of computing system 102 within distributed computing environment 100 ofFIG. 1. In an embodiment, environment 200 includes: I/O server 170,communication adapter 171, communication adapter 177, a portion of bus190, and associated physical and virtual communication ports (i.e.,ports) that connect to network 110. With respect to I/O server 170,communication adapter 171 includes physical ports P201 and P202, andcommunication adapter 177 includes physical ports P217 and P218. Withrespect to communication adapter 171, physical port P201 includesvirtual ports VP203, VP205, and VP207. With respect to communicationadapter 171, physical port P202 includes virtual ports VP204, VP206, andVP208. Communication adapters 171 and 177 may communicate with VM 131,VM 133, and VM 135 via bus 190. VM 131, VM 133, and VM 135 may utilizeone or more ports: VP203, VP204, VP205, VP206, VP207, VP208, P217, andP218 to act as initiators (i.e., communication initiators) tocommunicate with storage 105 via network 110.

FIG. 3 depicts a functional block diagram illustrating storage 105. Inone embodiment, storage 105 includes: server 340, server 350, and server360, where each server further includes two communication adapters andeach communication adapter includes two physical ports. Storage 105 mayalso include, but is not shown: persistent storage devices (e.g.,hard-disk arrays, magnetic tape libraries, optical jukeboxes,solid-state disk drives, etc.), support/monitoring hardware andsoftware, virtualization firmware and software (e.g., a hypervisor), andnetworking devices. With respect to server 340, server 340 includescommunication adapter A341 that includes physical ports P342 and P343;and communication adapter A347 that includes physical ports P348 andP349. In an embodiment, one physical port of communication adapter A341,port P342, may utilize NPIV to create virtual ports VP344 and VP345.With respect to server 350, server 350 includes communication adapterA351 that includes physical ports P352 and P353; and communicationadapter A357 that includes physical ports P358 and P359. With respect toserver 360, server 360 includes communication adapter A361 that includesphysical ports P362 and P363; and communication adapter A367 thatincludes physical ports P368 and P369.

In a different embodiment, storage 105 utilizes I/O virtualization andmulti-path communication within storage 105. For example, servers 340,350, and 360 may have HBAs that communicate with the controllers of thestorage devices (not shown) via storage virtualization utilizing NPIVand NPV. Some protocols utilized within storage 105 may include: FibreChannel protocol (FCP), Internet SCSI (iSCSI), SAS, Fibre Channel overInternet Protocol (FCIP), ATA over Ethernet (AoE), and Fibre Channelover Ethernet (FCoE).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting operational steps for path generationprogram 400, executing on computing system 102 within distributedcomputing environment 100 of FIG. 1. Path generation program 400determines which initiators of a computing system communicate with astorage system utilizing a multi-path communication protocol. Inaddition, path generation program 400 generates a sorted list of targets(e.g., ports) and assigns groups of items (e.g., targets) from a sortedlist that are available (e.g., not reserved, not flagged) on a storagesystem to various initiators of a computing device to improve theperformance (e.g., bandwidth) and reliability (e.g., redundancy) of themulti-path communications between the computing device and the storagesystem.

In step 402, path generation program 400 determines which initiators ofa computing system communicate with a storage system utilizing amulti-path communication protocol. In one embodiment, path generationprogram 400 determines which initiators of computing system 102communicate with storage 105 by the protocol utilized by a communicationconnection. In an example, path generation program 400 may communicatewith communication routing program 125 to determine which initiators ofcomputing system 102 communicate with storage 105 via MPTCP, SCTP,and/or FCP. In another example, path generation program 400 utilizeshandshaking information determined by communication routing program 125to determine which initiators utilize a multi-path communicationprotocol. In another embodiment, path generation program 400 determineswhich initiators of computing system 102 utilize a multi-pathcommunication protocol based on configuration information associatedwith a VM (e.g., VM 135). In one scenario, path generation program 400may determine that an initiator (e.g., P218) utilizes a multi-pathcommunication protocol based on the middleware and/or applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) (not shown) executed by a VM (e.g., VM131) that utilizes the initiator (e.g., P218). In another scenario, pathgeneration program 400 determines which initiators utilize a multi-pathcommunication protocol based in the provisioning information associatedwith a VM (e.g., VM 131).

In step 404, path generation program 400 determines a number of targetsof a storage system that connect to each initiator. In an embodiment,path generation program 400 utilizes information determined bycommunication routing program 125 obtained while establishing aplurality of connections between computing system 102 and storage 105 todetermine the number of targets that are connected to each initiator. Ina further embodiment, path generation program 400 communicates withstorage 105 to determine the number of targets (e.g., ports, port IDs)that are utilized by computing system 102 and which targets are reserved(e.g., inactive) on storage 105.

In step 406, path generation program 400 generates a sorted list oftargets. Path generation program 400 generates a sorted list of targets(e.g., port ID's, WWNNs, WWPN) for storage 105 based on physical andvirtual computing resources related to the targets. In an embodiment,the resources of storage 105 include one or more servers, where eachserver further includes one or more communication adapters, and eachcommunication adapter further includes one or more ports.

In one embodiment, path generation program 400 generates a sorted listthat may be described as a series of tuples in the format of (S,C,P)where (S), (C), and (P) respectively identify: a server, a communicationadapter, and a communication port (e.g., a port ID). Each element withinthe tuple format of (S,C,P) is cyclically utilized. In this embodiment,path generation program 400 prioritizes the sort based on a hardwarehierarchy (e.g., servers affect communication adapters, communicationadapters affect ports). In an example, (referring to the elements withinFIG. 3) utilizing the (S) and (C) elements of the tuple format, aninstance of path generation program 400 generates the series: (340,A341), (350, A351), (360, A361), (340, A347), (350, A357), and (360,A367). In some scenarios, the length of the series generated by pathgeneration program 400 is based on the total number of target ports onstorage 105. In other scenarios, the length of the series generated bypath generation program 400 is based on the number of target activeports on storage 105.

In some embodiments, one or more components of storage 105 may bevirtualized. Referencing FIG. 3, path generation program 400 bases thesorted list on server 340, server 350, server 360, and the communicationadapters (e.g., A341/A347, A351/A357, A361/A367) respectively associatedwith each server. Path generation program 400 also cyclicallydistributes the respective communication ports, physical and/or virtual,among each server/communication adapter combination. Referencing FIG. 3,the ports that are included in the list are VP344, VP345, P343, P38,P349, P352, P353, P358, P359, P363, P363, P368, and P369. In anotherembodiment, path generation program 400 applies a sorting routing on thecomponents depicted in FIG. 3 to generate the target port list forstorage 105 depicted in FIG. 6.

Referring to step 406, in other embodiments path generation program 400does not include WWPNs as port IDs when generating a sorted list oftargets. Path generation program 400 assigns the WWPN based on the LUNsthat are utilized by a VM. In a different embodiment, path generationprogram 400 may create a sorted list of ports based on other factors.Such factors may include: connection speed, routing paths, connectionreliability, etc.

In step 408, path generation program 400 defines a number of connectionsfor each initiator and assigns targets to each initiator based on thesorted list of targets. Path generation program 400 may utilize one ormore rules (e.g., determined by a system administrator, dictated by asoftware program, included in the provisioning of a VM, etc.). In oneembodiment, path generation program 400 identifies the bandwidth neededfor the multi-path communications of each initiator utilized by a VM(e.g., VM 131, VM 133, and VM 135) and determines a number ofconnections to storage 105 (e.g., targets) to support the identifiedbandwidth. In an instance, referring to the sorted list of FIG. 6initiators VP203, VP205, and VP 207 utilize a similar bandwidth (e.g.,communication rate) and path generation program 400 assigns fourconnections (e.g., communication paths) to initiators VP203, VP205, andVP207. In another instance, path generation program 400 determines thatinitiator P217 utilizes a higher bandwidth and path generation program400 assigns initiator P217 seven connections. In a different instance,path generation program 400 receives an indication from VM 135 that aprogram executing on VM 135, which utilizes initiator P218, includestimeout constraints. Path generation program 400 may determine that thebandwidth utilized by P218 is similar to VP203; however, path generationprogram 400 also determines that the program of VM 135 that utilizesP218 includes timeout constrains. Based on a timeout constraintassociated with program associated with initiator P218, path generationprogram 400 assigns seven connections to P218 as opposed to fourconnection. In some scenarios, path generation program 400 dynamicallydefines the number of connections assigned to each initiator. In oneinstance, path generation program 400 utilizes historical data from aload balancing program (not shown) to define the number of connectionsassigned to each initiator utilizing multi-path communication. Inanother instance, path generation program 400 defines the number ofconnections assigned to each initiator based on the number of active VMsof computing system 102.

In another embodiment, path generation program 400 defines a uniformnumber of connections to each initiator utilizing a multi-pathcommunications. In one scenario, path generation program 400 utilizesinformation obtained from the administrator of computing system 102 todefine the number of connections that are assigned to each initiatorutilizing multi-path communications with storage 105. In anotherscenario, path generation program 400 defines a number of connectionsassigned to each initiator based on a percentage of the total availabletargets on storage 105, rounded to a whole number of connections. For anexample, storage 105 includes 1600 target port IDs and computing system102 has 200 initiators that utilize multi-path communications. Pathgeneration program 400 assigns 40% of the target to the initiatorsengaged in multi-path communications with storage 105. In this example,path generation program 400 assigns 3 connections, 3.2 rounded to thenearest integer number of connections, to each of the 200 initiators. Insome scenarios, path generation program 400 utilizes unassigned targetsof a sorted target list to assign targets to new initiators that utilizemulti-path communication. In other scenarios, path generation program400 returns assigned targets to a sorted target list when an initiatorutilizing multi-path communication is not used (e.g., VM utilizing theinitiator is de-provisioned).

Referring to step 408, in further embodiment path generation program 400may communicate with storage 105 to determine the number of targets(e.g., ports, port IDs, WWPNs, WWNNs) available prior to assigning anumber of connections to initiators on computing system 102. Based onthe information communicated to path generation program 400 by storage105 in some instances the reserved ports are excluded from the sortedlist generation (step 406). In other instances, path generation program400 includes the reserved ports in the sorted port list; however, pathgeneration program 400 does not assign the reserved ports to aninitiator. In some scenarios, path generation program 400 determinesthat storage 105 reserves a portion of the available targets. Forexample, path generation program 400 determines that storage 105reserves targets, P368 and P369 of communication adapter A367 on server360. In one instance, the reserved targets are released for duringworkload spikes. In another instance, the reserved targets are releasedwhen a communication fault is identified on storage 105 (e.g., a HBAfailure, a communication adapter, a networking cable failure, a serverfailure, etc.).

In step 409, path generation program 400 communicates the assignedtargets for an initiator to communication routing program 125.Subsequently, communication routing program 125 utilizes the assignedtargets for an initiator to modify the connection paths of network 110utilized by computing system 102 to communicate with storage 105. In oneembodiment, path generation program 400 may transfer a list of ports(e.g., group) associated with each initiator to communication routingprogram 125. For example, path generation program 400 communicates thelist depicted in FIG. 6 to communication routing program 125. In anotherembodiment, path generation program 400 may communicate changesassociated with individual initiators to communication routing program125. In an example, VM 131, which utilizes initiator VP203, isde-provisioned. Path generation program 400 communicates tocommunication routing program 125 that initiator VP203 is not utilized.In another example, path generation program 400 determines that a new VMis provisioned and communicates a group of unassigned, substantiallysequential targets from the sorted list of targets to the initiatorassociated with the new VM to communication routing program 125. In someembodiments, path generation program 400 may assign multiple WWPNs totargets on storage 105 when NPIV is utilized. Path generation program400 may utilize this strategy to zone specific LUNs of storage 105 to aVM (e.g., VM 135) on computing system 102. Path generation program 400includes the WWPN assignments with the initiator-target assignmentcommunicated to communication routing program 125.

In step 410, path generation program 400 optionally monitors acommunication path between an initiator and a target. In one embodiment,path generation program 400 may monitor one or more communication pathsassociated with an initiator to ensure that sufficient connections wereassigned to meet a bandwidth dictate of an initiator. In anotherembodiment, path generation program 400 may monitor one or morecommunication paths for an initiator associated with a program thatincludes timeout constraints. In one scenario, path generation program400 may execute alternate path selection program 500 to determine if acommunication path issue is related to a fault on storage 105. Inanother scenario, path generation program 400 may determine that acommunication path issue is not associated with a fault on storage 105.In one instance, path generation program 400 may communicate withhypervisor 120 to assign another initiator to a VM associated with theaffected communication path. In another instance, the path may fail dueto another fault on: computing system 102, storage 105, and/or network110. Examples of other issues that affect communication paths betweencomputing system 102 and storage 105 are: incorrect hardware setting,duplicate IP addresses, access authority, errors in LUN masking, andincorrect LUN zoning.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting operational steps for alternate pathselection program 500, executing on computing system 102 withindistributed computing environment 100 of FIG. 1. Alternate pathselection program 500 determines whether one or more communicationfaults may be related to a fault on storage 105. If alternate pathselection program 500 identifies a communication fault associated withstorage 105, then alternate path selection program 500 determines whichtargets are affected and whether an affected target includes a timeoutconstraint. Subsequently, alternate path selection program 500 utilizesone or more techniques to select unassigned communication paths (e.g.,target ID's) and communicates the alternative communication path tocommunication routing program 125 and/or path generation program 400.

In decision step 502, alternate path selection program 500 identifieswhether a communication fault is associated with a fault on a storagesystem. In one embodiment, alternate path selection program 500 receivesinformation from communication routing program 125 that one or moreconnection paths are not established with storage 105. In anotherembodiment, alternate path selection program 500 determines that thereis a fault on storage 105 from a communication (e.g., status message)between storage 105 and computing system 102. Responsive to determiningthat a communication fault is identified on storage 105 (yes branch,decision step 502), alternate path selection program 500 determineswhich targets are affected by a communication fault of a storage system(step 504).

In step 504, alternate path selection program 500 determines whichtargets are associated with a communication fault of a storage system.In one embodiment, alternate path selection program 500 determines whichtargets (e.g., port IDs) are affected by a hardware fault. In onescenario, alternate path selection program 500 communicates with amonitoring program on storage 105 to determine that a server isassociated with an identified communication fault. In an example,(referring to FIG. 3) if server 360 is shutdown, then alternate pathselection program 500 determines that targets (e.g., ports) P362, P363,P368, and P369 are affected. In another scenario, if a communicationfault on storage 105 is associated with communication adapter A357, thenalternate path selection program 500 determines that targets P358 and/orP359 may be affected. In this scenario, alternate path selection program500 may require additional information from storage 105 to determinewhether one or both of targets P358 and P359 are affected by a fault oncommunication adapter A357.

In another embodiment, alternate path selection program 500 determineswhich targets (e.g., port IDs) are affected by a software fault. In onescenario, alternate path selection program 500 communicates with ahypervisor of storage 105 to determine whether internal communicationoccurs among storage systems and server 340, server 350, and server 360.In an example (referring to FIG. 3), if alternate path selection program500 determines that server 360 is affected by an internal communicationfault of storage 105, then alternate path selection program 500determines that targets (e.g., ports) P362, P363, P368, and P369 areaffected. In another scenario, if alternate path selection program 500determines that NPID virtualization is associated with a communicationfault on storage 105, then alternate path selection program 500determines that targets VP344 and VP345 are affected.

Referring to step 504 in a different embodiment, alternate pathselection program 500 communicates with communication routing program125 to determine which targets of storage 105 are affected by acommunication fault based on one or more network diagnostics executed bycommunication routing program 125. In an example, communication routingprogram 125 may periodically utilize a traceroute function (not shown)to identify which connection paths cannot be accessed. In anotherexample, communication routing program 125 may utilize a neighbordiscovery protocol monitor (not shown) to identify which connectionpaths cannot be accessed.

In step 506, alternate path selection program 500 determines whichinitiators are assigned to affected targets. In an embodiment, alternatepath selection program 500 communicates with communication routingprogram 125 to determine the one or more initiators that are assigned tothe affected targets. In another embodiment, alternate path selectionprogram 500 communicates with path generation program 400 to obtain thesorted list of targets and the initiator-target assignments to determinethe one or more initiators that are assigned to the affected targets.

In step 508, alternate path selection program 500 identifies a softwareprogram associated with an initiator that includes a timeout constraint.In one embodiment, alternate path selection program 500 communicateswith path generation program 400 to determine whether a softwareprogram, executing on computing system 102, that utilizes an affectedtarget on storage 105 includes a timeout constraint. In anotherembodiment, alternate path selection program 500 communicates withhypervisor 120 to determine whether a software program, executing oncomputing system 102, that utilizes an affected target on storage 105includes a timeout constraint. In a further embodiment, alternate pathselection program 500 determines from communications with pathgeneration program 400 that the initiator associated with a timeoutconstraint is also affected by varying bandwidth utilization.

In decision step 510, alternate path selection program 500 determineswhether an initiator utilizes an affected target. In one embodiment,alternate path selection program 500 determines that an initiator isaffected based on a determined timeout constraint of a VM and/or programthat utilizes a target that is affected by a fault. In anotherembodiment, alternate path selection program 500 determines that aninitiator is associated with an affected target based on informationobtained from path generation program 400. In one scenario, alternatepath selection program 500 determines that an initiator is affectedbased on “quality of service” measurements (e.g., error rates, retryrates, etc.) obtained from path generation program 400. In anotherscenario, alternate path selection program 500 determines thatsufficient communication paths do not exist for an initiator based on abandwidth constraint of a VM and/or software program.

In decision step 510, in response to a determination that alternate pathselection program 500 determines that an initiator utilizes an affectedtarget (yes branch, decision step 510), alternate path selection program500 selects an alternative communication path for an affected initiator(step 512).

In step 512, alternate path selection program 500 selects an alternativecommunication path for an affected initiator. In one embodiment,alternate path selection program 500 determines that the affectedinitiator is not associated with a software program that includes atimeout constraint. In one scenario, alternate path selection program500 communicates to communication routing program 125 which target ofstorage 105 is affected and that communication routing program 125 mayproceed to another assigned target. Alternate path selection program 500may utilize various scheduling or queuing algorithms for selecting theother assigned target. Examples of queuing algorithms that alternatepath selection program 500 may utilize include: round robin, weightedround robin, deficit round robin, multilevel queuing, and random. Inaddition, alternate path selection program 500 flags the affected targetto communication routing program 125 so that the affected target isexcluded from subsequent multi-path data communications. In anotherscenario, alternate path selection program 500 determines fromcommunications with path generation program 400 that an initiator has abandwidth constraint. Alternate path selection program 500 communicatesthe information related to the affected target to path generationprogram 400 for path generation program 400 to communicate a replacementtarget assignment to communication routing program 125.

In another embodiment, alternate path selection program 500 determinesthat the affected initiator is associated with a software program thatincludes a timeout constraint. In one scenario, alternate path selectionprogram 500 communicates to communication routing program 125 whichtarget of storage 105 is affected and that communication routing program125 may reduce the delay and/or number of communication retries beforeproceeding to the next assigned target in round-robin fashion. Inaddition, alternate path selection program 500 flags the affected targetto communication routing program 125 so that the affected target isexcluded from subsequent multi-path data communications.

Referring to step 512, in another scenario, alternate path selectionprogram 500 communicates with path generation program 400 to replace theaffected targets with a newgroup of target assignments from the sortedtarget list for storage 105. Subsequently, path generation program 400communicates the replacement target assignments to communication routingprogram 125. In another scenario, alternate path selection program 500determines that an affected initiator includes both a timeout constraintand variable bandwidth utilization. In an instance, alternate pathselection program 500 communicates with path generation program 400 toreplace the affected targets with a new group of target assignments fromthe sorted target list for storage 105, where the new group of targetsis larger to support periods of higher bandwidth utilization.Subsequently, path generation program 400 communicates the new andlarger group of target assignments to communication routing program 125.

Referring to decision step 502, responsive to determining that acommunication fault is not identified on storage 105 (no branch,decision step 502), alternate path selection program 500 terminates.

Referring to decision step 510, in response to a determination thatalternate path selection program 500 determines that an initiator doesnot utilizes an affected target (no branch, decision step 510),alternate path selection program 500 terminates.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative example of a portion of a list of target portson storage 105 and the initiators of computing system 102 that mayutilize the target ports. FIG. 6 depicts twenty-four targets assigned tofive initiators, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. Target port list for storage 105 is generated based on anembodiment of path generation program 400 (referencing step 406). Column602 depicts the assignment of five physical and virtual initiators ofcomputing system 102 to targets (e.g., ports) of storage 105, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Column 604depicts a cyclical assignment of servers, server 340 then server 350,then server 360, and the cycle begins again with server 340. Column 606depicts a cyclical assignment of communication adapters respectivelyassociated with each instance of a server (referencing FIG. 3). In anexample, communication adapter A341 is assigned to the first, third,fifth, and seventh instances of server 340. Communication adapter A347is assigned to the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth instances of server340. Column 608 depicts a cyclical assignment of physical and virtualports (e.g., targets) respectively associated with each instance of acommunication adapter (referencing FIG. 3). In an example, virtual portVP344 is assigned to the first and fourth instances of communicationadapter A341. Virtual port VP345 is assigned to the second instance ofcommunication adapter A341, and port P343 is assigned to the thirdinstance of communication adapter A341.

In an example, initiator P217 is assigned ports P343, P352, P362, P348,P358, and P368. Row 610 depicts an instance where alternate pathselection program 500 determines that communication adapter A361(stippled shading) of storage 105 is identified as having acommunication fault. In an embodiment, alternate path selection program500 may determine that there is no impact to initiator P217. Alternatepath selection program 500 communicates with communication routingprogram 125 to proceed with a round-robin utilization of ports P343,P352, P348, P358, and P368 for multi-path communication betweencomputing system 102 and storage 105.

In another example, initiator P218 is assigned ports VP344, P352, P362,P348, P358, and P368. Row 615 and row 616 depict an instance wherealternate path selection program 500 determines that server 350 (randomstipple shading) of storage 105 is identified as having a communicationfault. A fault in server 350 affects targets P352, P353, P358, and P359.In an embodiment, alternate path selection program 500 may determine,based on communications with path generation program 400, that initiatorP218 is bandwidth constrained based on losing the communication pathsassociated with targets P352 and P358. Alternate path selection program500 communicates with path generation program 400 that additionaltargets are needed to maintain the bandwidth dictated by initiator P218.In a scenario, initiators VP203, VP205, VP207, P217, and P218 ofcomputing system 102 are engaged in multi-path communication withstorage 105. Based on the bandwidth constraint of initiator P218, pathgeneration program 400 assigns the next two target ports in sequence.The tuples that describes the two target ports in sequence are: server340/communication adapter A341/port VP345 and server 350/communicationadapter A351/port P353. However, port P353 is affected by the fault inserver 350; therefore, path generation program 400 assigns a differenttarget, which is described by a tuple as server 360/communicationadapter A361/port VP343.

FIG. 7 depicts computer system 700, which is representative of computingsystem 102 and storage 105. Computer system 700 is an example of asystem that includes software and data 712. Computer system 700 includesprocessor(s) 701, cache 703, memory 702, persistent storage 705,communications unit 707, input/output (I/O) interface(s) 706, andcommunication fabric 704. Communications fabric 704 providescommunications between cache 703, memory 702, persistent storage 705,communications unit 707, and input/output (I/O) interface(s) 706.Communications fabric 704 can be implemented with any architecturedesigned for passing data and/or control information between processors(such as microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.),system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware componentswithin a system. For example, communications fabric 704 can beimplemented with one or more buses or a crossbar switch.

Memory 702 and persistent storage 705 are computer readable storagemedia. In this embodiment, memory 702 includes random access memory(RAM). In general, memory 702 can include any suitable volatile ornon-volatile computer readable storage media. Cache 703 is a fast memorythat enhances the performance of processor(s) 701 by holding recentlyaccessed data, and data near recently accessed data, from memory 702.With respect to computing system 102, memory 702 includes, at least inpart, designated memory 124 (e.g., physical hardware) depicted in FIG. 1to be shared among logical partitions.

Program instructions and data used to practice embodiments of thepresent invention may be stored in persistent storage 705 and in memory702 for execution by one or more of the respective processor(s) 701 viacache 703. In an embodiment, persistent storage 705 includes a magnetichard disk drive. Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard diskdrive, persistent storage 705 can include a solid-state hard drive, asemiconductor storage device, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, or any othercomputer readable storage media that is capable of storing programinstructions or digital information. With respect to computing system102, persistent storage 705 includes, at least in part, disks 122 (e.g.,physical hardware) depicted in FIG. 1 to be shared among logicalpartitions.

The media used by persistent storage 705 may also be removable. Forexample, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 705.Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, andsmart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto anothercomputer readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage705. Software and data 712 are stored in persistent storage 705 foraccess and/or execution by one or more of the respective processor(s)701 via cache 703 and one or more memories of memory 702. With respectto computing system 102, software and data 712 includes hypervisor 120,communication routing program 125, path generation program 400,alternate path selection program 500, and other programs.

Communications unit 707, in these examples, provides for communicationswith other data processing systems or devices, including resources ofcomputing system 102 and processors 121. In these examples,communications unit 707 includes one or more network interface cards.Communications unit 707 may provide communications through the use ofeither or both physical and wireless communications links. With respectto computing system 102, hypervisor 120, virtual adapter 140, virtualadapter 150, virtual adapter 160, bus 190, and program instructions anddata used to practice embodiments of the present invention may bedownloaded to persistent storage 705 through communications unit 707.With respect to computing system 102, communication unit 707 includes,at least in part, one or more network cards 123 (e.g., physicalhardware), virtual adapter 140, virtual adapter 150, virtual adapter160, communication adapter 171, communication adapter 177, communicationadapter 181, and communication adapter 187 depicted in FIG. 1, to beshared among logical partitions.

I/O interface(s) 706 allows for input and output of data with otherdevices that may be connected to each computer system. For example, I/Ointerface(s) 706 may provide a connection to external device(s) 708,such as a keyboard, a keypad, a touch screen, and/or some other suitableinput device. External device(s) 708 can also include portable computerreadable storage media such as, for example, thumb drives, portableoptical or magnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used topractice embodiments of the present invention can be stored on suchportable computer readable storage media and can be loaded ontopersistent storage 705 via I/O interface(s) 706. I/O interface(s) 706also connect to display device 709.

Display device 709 provides a mechanism to display data to a user andmay be, for example, a computer monitor. Display device 709 can alsofunction as a touch screen, such as the display of a tablet computer ora smartphone.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure discussessystem virtualization, implementation of the teachings recited hereinare not limited to a virtualized computing environment. Rather, theembodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any type of clustered computing environment now known(e.g., cloud computing) or later developed.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method, or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer-readablemedium(s) having computer-readable program code/instructions embodiedthereon.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles ofthe embodiment, the practical application or technical improvement overtechnologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for routing communication paths amongcomputing devices, the method comprising: identifying, by one or morecomputer processors, a computing entity and a data storage entity thattransfer data; determining, by one or more computer processors, aplurality of communication ports that the data storage entity utilizesto transfer data to the computing entity; identifying, by one or morecomputer processors, a plurality of computing resources respectivelyassociated with the determined plurality of communication ports that thedata storage entity utilizes to transfer the data to the computingentity; and generating, by one or more computer processors, a list oftuples for the data storage entity based, at least in part, on theidentified plurality of computing resources and the determined pluralityof communication ports; wherein the list of tuples for the data storageentity comprises information corresponding to computing resources thatinclude: a server identifier, a communication adapter identifier, and acommunication port identifier; wherein the communication adapteridentifier is respectively associated with a server; wherein thecommunication port identifier is respectively associated with acommunication adapter; and wherein the communication port identifiercorresponds to at least one of a physical computing resource and avirtualized computing resource; sorting, by one or more computerprocessors, the generated list of tuples such that the generated list oftuples is cyclically ordered based on a hierarchy of: the serveridentifier, the communication adapter identifier, and the communicationport identifier; and identifying, by one or more computer processors, arule associated with the computing entity, wherein the rule dictates anumber of communication paths that the computing entity utilizes totransfer data between a communication port of the computing entity andthe plurality of communication ports of the data storage entity; andassigning, by one or more computer processors, a group of communicationport identifiers from the generated list of tuples to the communicationport of the computing entity such that the number of the group ofassigned communication ports is based, at least in part, on the ruleassociated with the computing entity.